Review: The Summer Children

The Summer Children by Dot Hutchison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book cover was beautiful. I picked it up the book from Net Galley when I found the average rating which was well above 4. I had huge expectations from the book but somewhere I could not connect with the characters.

This is about FBI agent Mercedes Ramirez working in the Crimes Against Children Dept who finds herself investigating murders when children are dropped at her home after being rescued from their abusive homes. She is aided by her colleagues Eddison, Vic and Sterling who, I guess, made an appearance in one of the previous book in the series. The agent herself has a dark history and mysteriously the killer trusts her to safeguard these children.

The book starts with a promise but it loses its pace with myriad characters flitting in and out of the plot. The narrative is dark and horrific. The crux of the plot is superb and the subject is quite macabre. However, I did not find it thrilling enough to keep me hooked. Maybe the earlier books in the series were far better. Also the characters from the Butterfly Garden (Priya, Inara and Victoria-Bliss) make an appearance without adding any value to the plot. However at some places it becomes quite emotional and disturbing to read about the sexual abuse faced by the children.

I thank Net Galley for a free copy of the book.

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